ucd portfolio nick connell

1 FOLDED PLATE

2 ECO - RESORT

3 ARCHITECTURAL TILES

4 COMMUNITY CENTER AND POOL

5 SENDAI MEDIATHEQUE REPARAMETERIZATION

Nicholas Welch ConnellMasters HCDE 2016

Email : [email protected] : 425 - 269 - 6974

USER CENTERED DESIGNProject Index

01 ConVRse

02 Bjoern

03 The Garden

04 Bridge

It has been observed through research, that in order to be fluent in any given language, one must be immersed in a

surrounding where it is the primary medium of communication for a significant amount of time. Unfortunately, this is often not

possible. Simulation based language learning can overcome time and remote distance issues. Using virtual reality, people will be

able to manipulate the environmental variables such as language, place, and time, while being immersed in a situation that feels

like a natural environment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________CONVRSE | AbROAd, ViRtuAlly ANywhERE.hCdE MAStERS 2016

Our goal is to make learning a new foreign language an easier, more delightful, and inspiring experience.

ConVRse is an immersive learning adventure that places users right in the heart of culture and experiences. By utilizing virtual reality(VR) technology and AltspaceVR, users are placed into the context of a language where they can interact, socialize and collaborate in order to learn a new language. ConVRse is immersive, delightful and

impactful and we believe that every person deserves to travel abroad, virtually anywhere!

What is conVRse?


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With globalization in full swing, businesses worldwide acknowledge the need to learn not only the language but the culture of another

learn languages in a relatively shorter time frame, newer

are constantly being sought after. VR technology is on the forefront and is seen as a gradual development from more primitive 3D graphics, 2-D images. Language learning is also an enormous market as is evident by the successes of apps such as Duolingo and Rosetta Stone.

It has been observed through research that in order to

language, you have to be immersed in a surrounding where it is the primary medium of communication

time which is not possible for everyone. Simulation-based language learning can overcome time and remote distance issues. Using VR people will be able to manipulate the environment such as language, place, and time variables while being immersed in a situation that feels like a natural environment.

User Bene�t s

Design Concept

Design Goal

Market Opportunity Why VR?

Make learning a new foreign language an easier, more delightful, and inspiring experience.

The User’s Process

Our ProcessResearch Ideation Prototyping Evaluation

Research indicates that learning a new language is optimum between the ages of 10 and 12 years old. This means that for the vast majority of individuals, learning a new language happens after this

ability to do well, understanding other languages conceptually, and avoiding burnout.

Describe the actual design concept here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam mi erat, ultrices a mi a, vehicula pharetra purus. Sed tincidunt tellus a leo mattis, laoreet euismod sem volutpat. Donec eu pulvinar justo. Proin in dolor erat. Donec venenatis scelerisque magna, ut vulputate tellus. Aliquam tincidunt eget velit nec mollis. Suspendisse eu est sit amet lacus ultricies fermentum eget et nisi.







User Bene�t s

Design Concept

Design Goal








Immersion Cultural Exposure

The Users Process








User Bene�t s

Design Concept

Design Goal








With globalization in full swing, businesses worldwide acknowledge

the need to learn not only the language but the culture of another country. In order to efficiently learn

languages in a relatively shorter time frame, newer and more effective

methods are constantly being sought after. VR technology is on the

forefront and is seen as a gradual development from more primitive

3D graphics, 2-D images. Language learning is also an enormous market

as is evident by the successes of apps such as Duolingo and Rosetta Stone.

MARkEtOPPORtuNity

Since VR is a new design medium, it was important for our team to

be able to test with users early on, to validate our design assumptions

and to learn about painpoints.

Social Interaction Feedback and Results


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SkEtChiNG & idEAtiON

DESIGN CONCEPTThrough our interviews we discovered that it can be a real challenge to have social interactions with others in the target language when the learner is a complete beginner. This type of social interaction requires a heavy moderation by an instructor, who may not be available to the learner. Due to this, we feel that VR social interaction is better suited initially for individuals who have some basic knowledge of the language, and who want to learn the language for business/travel purposes. Classes could be scheduled to provide support for new learners.


Loading content into AltspaceVR required the model to be hosted locally. A Python Simple Server was used.

Interaction and design tests were performed by isolating and translating pieces from the “Design Intent” model in SketchUp into the AltspaceVR platform.

AltspaceVR required the geometry and textures to be translated and run as a three.js 3D webpage within the game.



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ACtiONS

DESIGN INTENT

Due to the limitation set by Altspace’s platform and workflow, a series of high fidelity images were created to explain the final design intent. The images show

finished renderings generated by a working 3D model. The hope is that these renderings will not only show design intent for future work, but the 3D model will

be repurposed for future prototyping in Unity in the coming quarter.

AltspaceVR was an essential tool that allowed our team to research concepts easily and test early. The social tools provided in AltspaceVR were invaluable for exploring collaborative learning in virtual reality.



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BjoernConnecting you to your next best e-book

Aravind Ravi, Heidi Schindler, Nick Connell, Yanina Levitskaia

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________bJOERN | EbOOk ShOPPiNG REiMAGiNEd

hCdE MAStERS 2016

BJOERNCONNECTING YOU TO YOUR NEXT BEST E-BOOK

Research showed that recommendations based on prior purchases and reviews are often unsuccessful.

Customers said it was time consuming & difficult to find an interesting new book to read on the Kindle store.

None of the browsing options cater to an individual’s preferences and instead use filters like price, reviews and genres.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Why compete with Amazon’s Kindle?

Goal?

To reimagine the online book shopping experience to help readers save time and frustration in locating their next preferred read among the thousands of titles available online.

Maci

Status: SingleLocation: Seattle, WABackground: Early 30’s, established career in the tech industryIncome: $75,000/year

“I just want help finding the best book EVERY time.”

● Identifies as highly informed to better herself personally and professionally

● Key source for information is books ● Expects a seamless reading experience across her devices

Biggest Frustrations● Cannot find a site that has book recommendations that fit her interests

or mood● Does not want to take the time comparing multiple sites or stores to

‘find the best book’

Key Identifiers

Main Goals● Wants a highly personalized book searching experience that reflects her

reading history and frequently changing reading mood, while accommodating unique book options as well

● Find a great book in the minimal amount of time4


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BJOERNCONNECTING YOU TO YOUR NEXT BEST E-BOOK

●- Identifies as highly informed and aims to better herself personally and professionally●- Key source for information is books●- Expects a seamless reading experience across her devices

●- Cannot find a site that has book recommendations that fit her interests or mood- Does not want to take the time comparing multiple sites or stores to ‘find the best book’

-● Wants a highly personalized book searching experience that reflects her reading history and frequently changing reading mood, whileaccommodating unique book options as well-● Find a great book in the minimal amount of time

Status: SingleLocation: Seattle, WABackground: Early 30’s, establishedcareer in the tech industryIncome: $75,000/year

“I just want help finding the best book EVERY time.”

MACI

Frustrations

Key Identifiers

Main Goals

Persona

INIT

IAL

SK

ET

CH

ES

Grid layout version 2 for MacBook Pro iPadAir iPhone5


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- Data visualization of trending books.

- Curators to follow for recommendations.

- Ability to dive deep in filtering search options through customer driven tags, mood categories, and curated lists.

- Content and feature prioritization for every user.

SOLUTION OVERVIEW

Differentiating Features


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Desktop Wireframe Sketch

Site Map - Desktop_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________bJOERN | EbOOk ShOPPiNG REiMAGiNEd

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After initial research and design for both the desktop and mobile versions of Bjoern, focus was turned to developing the mobile version further. The decision to deep-dive on the mobile experience was driven by competitive analysis and the primary persona.

DESKTOP TO MOBILE

Mobile Experience Driven

Site Map - Mobile_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________bJOERN | EbOOk ShOPPiNG REiMAGiNEd

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Initial Desktop Sketch - browse trending books by hashtags.

Traditional and Non-Traditional filtering methods were explored._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________bJOERN | EbOOk ShOPPiNG REiMAGiNEd

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DATA VISUALIZATIONTrending Topics

This feature is one of Bjoern’s most unique features. It allows the user to browse what is “popular” to read in their area. Since popularity may have a variety of meanings given the context, Bjoern displays a variety of different categories that books might be trending in. The trending books in each category are displayed on a graphic chart which allows the user to quickly visually see which topics are more popular than others.

Mobile Trending Wireframe - browse by categories and hashtags.


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CURATED CONTENT

Mobile Experience Driven

Inspired by Steam’s online store, Bjoern explores the idea of bringing a more communal aspect into the ebook shopping experience.


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Once the user finds a book, rating, or review they like, they can to dive into a full description by tapping the image or the “Read more” link.

USER’S LIVE FEED

Reviews, News, Trending

This feature provides user with data about their behavior to help them understand their reading patterns for improvement.

USER STATISTICS

Personalized User Data


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[The Garden]

Malaysian Community Center

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ECO - RESORt | ExPlORiNG CultuRAlly SENSitiVE dESiGN, ECO tOuRiSM, & NON-ViSuAl ARChitECtuRAl ExPERiENCES hCdE MAStERS 2016

Malaysian Community Center


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CONCEPtuAl SECtiON:ShOwiNG thE RElAtiON Of SPACE tO lAkE kENyiR iN tERENGGANu, MAlAySiA

21

AftER liViNG iN MAlAySiA ANd ExPlORiNG thE COuNtRy fOR OVER twO MONthS i CAN hONEStly SAy thAt MAlAySiA iS A fASCiNAtiNG COuNtRy with A diVERSE ANd RiCh hiStORy. thiS bACkGROuNd hAS GENERAtEd whAt ONE COuld ONly dESCRibE AS uNiquE CultuRE. uNtil ONly RElAtiVEly RECENtly MAlAySiA wAS PARt Of thE lONG liNE Of bRitiSh COlONiAl OCCuPAtiONS iN SOuth EASt ASiA. uPON bECOMiNG AN iNdEPENdENt COuNty, thE PEOPlE hAVE StRuGGlEd tO dEfiNE thEMSElVES bOth AS AN iNtERNAtiONAl ECONOMiC fORCE ANd AS A uNifiEd CultuRE. thiS PROJECt fOR thE MAlAySiAN GOVERNMENt wAS A COMPEtitiON tO dESiGN SOMEthiNG thAt REflECtEd thEiR diVERSity Of CultuRE, AS wEll AS bENEfitEd thE lOCAl COMMuNity.

whEN MAlAySiA GAiNEd iNdEPENdENCE iN 1957 thE quEStiON Of whiCh EthNiC bACkGROuNd wOuld RulE bECAME A CONCERN. SiNCE MuCh Of thE COuNtRy wAS ESSENtiAlly SEGREGAtEd duRiNG bRitiSh RulE; thE MAlAySiANS, ChiNESE, ANd iNdiAN/OthER NEVER AdOPtEd thE fAMiliAR AMERiCAN “MEltiNG POt” thEORy. AS A RESult thERE ARE SEPARAtE EduCAtiONAl SyStEMS, liViNG diStRiCtS, bANkS, REliGiOuS iNStitutiONS, lANGuAGES, ANd fOOd.

AftER RESEARChiNG thE ASPECtS Of lOCAl fARMiNG, fOOd, ANd MEdiCiNAl bEliEfS iN thE REGiON Of tERENGGANu i dECidEd tO iNCORPORAtE thE SOuth EASt ASiAN CultuRE Of SPiCES iNtO My dESiGN. “EAStERN SPiCES” AS A CONCEPt EMbOdy MORE thAN JuSt thEiR SiMPlE uSE iN fOOd. thEy hAVE bECOME A wAy tO idENtify ANd CElEbRAtE uNiquE CultuRES All thROuGhOut ASiA, SiNCE EACh CultuRE hAS thEiR OwN uNiquE PRACtiCES REGARdiNG MEdiCiNAl SPiCES, COOkiNG, ANd Gift GiViNG.

lOCAl CRAftS

MAlAySiAN RAiNfORESt ARE hOME tO MANy NAtuRAl fORMS Of MEdiCiNE

thE AREA Of tERENGGANu iS AblE tO SuPPORt A VARiEty Of tROPiCAl fRuit

A Brief Background:

“Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.”

- Mark Kurlansky

iN A tRAditiONAl hOuSE A PERSON ENtERS thROuGh A CENtRAl COVEREd SPACE kNOwN AS thE SElANG iNtO thE CENtRAl ACtiVity ROOM kNOwN AS thE RuMAh ibu. iN MANy tRAditiONAl hOMES thiS ROOM iS PARtitiONEd Off At NiGht tO AllOw fOR PRiVACy duRiNG SlEEP. thE hOuSiNG iN thiS PROJECt REflECtS bOth tyPOlOGiES ACkNOwlEdGiNG thE APPEAl Of thE ChAlEt tO thE fOREiGN tOuRiSt, whilE AlSO PROVidiNG A SERiES Of SMAll ROOMS SEPARAtEd by SCREENS SiMilAR tO JAPANESE ShOJi SCREENS.

ONE Of thE PRESCRibEd PROGRAMS fOR thE PROJECt wAS hOuSiNG fOR bOth dAy tRiPPERS ANd fOR fOREiGN tRAVElERS. uNlikE MANy Of thE OthER RESORtS iN thE AREA whiCh hOuSE All Of thEiR GuESt iN ChAlEtS, thERE wAS CARE tO Study tRAditiONAl MAlAy hOuSiNG whEN dESiGNiNG thE RESORt.

A lARGER fAMily MAy RENt MORE SPACE iN A SCREENEd SyStEM

PROGRAM wAS diVidEd iNtO fOuR CAtEGORiES:tRANSPORtAtiON, PubliC hOuSiNG. MARkEt, & PRiVAtE hOuSiNG (fROM RiGht tO lEft)



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CONCERN fOR thE lOCAl PEOPlE kNOwN by SOME AS thE ORANG ASli wAS ONE Of thE tOP PRiORitiES iN ChOOSiNG tO iNCludE SPiCES.

PROPOSAl:iNtERACtiVE SPiCE GARdEN with lAb ANd PubliC MARkEt

lONG tERM GOAlS:- bENEfit thE lOCAlS by iNCORPORAtiNG lOCAl CRAft

- PROVidE MEANiNGful wORk fOR thE COMMuNity, AS wEll AS EduCAtiNG thE fARMERS thROuGh thE lAb RESEARCh

- EduCAtE ViSitORS ANd lOCAlS AbOut SOil, AiR, ANd wAtER ClEANliNESS thROuGh SuStAiNAblE ANd ECO-fRiENdly fARMiNG PRACtiCES

- PROVidE JOb OPPORtuNitiES thAt GENERAtE diRECt iNCOME fOR thE lOCAlS

- PRESERVAtiON Of biOdiVERSity ANd thE OPPORtuNity tO Study lOCAl flORA/fAuNA

- CultuRAl ExPOSuRE tO fOREiGN tRAVElERS

- utilizE thE diSPlAy ANd PubliC SPACE

whEN PRESENtiNG tO thE MAlAySiAN GOVERNMENt it wAS iMPORtANt tO AlSO SEll thE RECREAtiONAl ASPECt Of thE PROJECt. thiS RENdERiNG ANd diAGRAM AttEMPt tO bRidGE thE GAP bEtwEEN A POtENtiAlly EduCAtiONAl ANd CultuRAl dEStiNAtiON, ANd AN ExCitiNG ANd RElAxiNG VACAtiON.



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It is about celebrating the culture of food, of sharing the extraordinary knowledge, developed over millennia, of the traditions involved with quality food production, of the sheer joy and pleasure of consuming food together. Especially within the context of family life, this

has to be one of the highest forms of cultural activity.

- Prince Charles

Inspiration for much of the patterning in the garden and on the facade was inspired by artist such as Paul Klee.His understanding of texture and color became an inspiration to design a painting or fabric with spices

in which the buildings could then exist.


l-ShAPEd uNit AllOwS fOR NAtuRAl VENtilAtiON ANd PERSONAl GARdENS fOR EACh uNit. ASPECtS Of SiGht, SMEll, ANd EVEN tOuCh ARE uNiquE tO EACh ChAlEt SiNCE thEy ARE

SuRROuNdEd by thE VARyiNG PAttERN Of thE SPiCE GARdEN.


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RATTANRAttAN wEAViNG iS A lARGE PARt Of thE CultuRE iN tERENGGANu. AftER ExPERiENCiNG thE iNtENSE RAiNfAll MAlAySiA fREquENtly ExPERiENCES, it bECAME A PRiORity tO PROVidE NOt ONly COVEREd wAlkwAyS, but AlSO lAtERAl PROtECtiON. AdditiONAlly thE SkiN PROVidES SOlAR PROtECtiON whilE MAiNtAiNiNG A lEVEl Of POROSity fOR NAtuRAl VENtilAtiON tO OCCuR. thE SkiN wAS ORGANizEd iNtO twO PANEl SizES whiCh wOuld bOth bE SiMPlE ANd iNExPENSiVE tO REPlACE iN thE futuRE. thE PANElS CAN bE PROPPEd OPEN tO AllOw GREAtER NAtuRAl VENtilAtiON thROuGh thE SPACE._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ECO - RESORt | ExPlORiNG CultuRAlly SENSitiVE dESiGN, ECO tOuRiSM, & NON-ViSuAl ARChitECtuRAl ExPERiENCES hCdE MAStERS 2016

RATTANdiffERENt fACAdE PERMutAtiONS

thE MAiN ENtRANCE tO thE RESORt uSES tRAditiONAl Stilt PiliNG CONStRuCtiON tO ElEVAtE thE RAttAN wRAPPEd ACCOMMOdAtiONS AbOVE. thiS GiVES thE GuESt A SENSE Of COMPRESSiON ON ENtERiNG thE lObby. thE COMbiNAtiON Of thE lOw CEiliNG ANd thE wEll dEfiNEd REtAiNiNG wAll fRAMES thE GuEStS ViEw Of thE lAkE kENyiR.


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ENtRANCE ViEw

iNtERiOR Of GREENhOuSE SPACE


TO

UR

SM


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TO

UR

SM

E C O

tEAM bRidGE

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________fOldEd PlAtE | ExPlORiNG PARAMEtRiCS, tiliNG, ANd fORM MAkiNG iN thE CONtExt Of VERtiCAl fARMiNG

uSC ARCh 2011

How might we overcome communication barriers to school involvementand facilitate the relationships between ELL parents and their children’s

schools, promoting equal access to quality education?

DESIGN QUESTION

Parent (or primary caregiver) involvement is important to the educational success of a child in grade school. In the United States, communication can be a barrier to school

involvement and inclusion for ELL (English Language Learning) parents. Sometimes, the responsibility falls to the children to mediate their own educational interests/interpret classroom expectations and progress for their parent(s). For other

families, involvement remains so difficult, parents have no choice but to trust the school system to advocate for the child's

education without parent understanding or support. The result is diminished educational opportunity for the children of ELL

households.

We want to change this inequality by empowering parents to connect and exchange information with educators and other

parents, helping to build respectful, inclusive relationships for the best possible educational outcome.

tEAM bRidGESituAtiON & ObJECtiVE

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________fOldEd PlAtE | ExPlORiNG PARAMEtRiCS, tiliNG, ANd fORM MAkiNG iN thE CONtExt Of VERtiCAl fARMiNG

uSC ARCh 2011 33fORMS GENERAtEd uSiNG RhiNO & GRASShOPPER

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3: Observation

We attended a social information night for Somali families at an international elementary school in South Seattle, where we talked with parents, kids, teachers, faculty, and volunteers about education, language, and community.

2. Surveys & Questionnaires(n=36 responses)

We asked Seattle teachers a set of 13 closed-ended questions and 1 open-ended question based on the target areas identified in the qualitative interviews. (e.g. ELL parent involvement and ELL resources)

1. Qualitative Interviews (n=9)

We held in-person interviews to gather detailed information about how teachers understand the current experience of ELL parents.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________bRidGE | Ell SuPPORt

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RESEARChCHALLENGES:

Many Seattle schools have varied levels of infrastructural support for helping ELL children and their families access the same quality of education that English-speakers receive.

Teachers and ELL parents need a way to communicate regularly about child performance and behaviour.

ELL parents need translation resources to understand school communications.

WHAT WORKS:

Recognition and celebration of cultural identity helps ELL families feel more welcome in the school community.

Feeling like part of a community empowers parents to advocate for their child’s education.

It’s important for schools to offer learning opportunities for ELL parents.

MEthOdS


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BIOGRAPHY

KATE SMITH

USE CASESCENARIOS

DEMOGRAPHICDATA

TECHNICALBACKGROUND

USER TYPE

I teach 4th grade at King Elementary and have been teaching elementary school for 8 years. From year to year there may be 8 to 10 other lan-guages I need to consider when communicating with English Language Learning (ELL) parents.

Structuring the home for learning makes a huge difference for my students’ ability to focus and understand the material. I would like a way to show this information to parents all at once, even those who don’t speak English fluently. When the school offers medical services, I find that not all families take the opportunity. I like to see ELL parents reaching out to same-language-speaking parents to talk about these resources and build awareness through community. I would like a way for parents to feel more connected to the class-room and invited to communicate with me.

I am caucasian, 43 years old, and I speak a little bit of Spanish. My school has 34% ELL and bilin-gual families. There are 6 Bilingual staff members.

I use email, phone, text, and apps to commu-nicate with fellow teachers, administrators, and sometimes parents. I sometimes use translators for ELL Parents.

Primary UserRE

SE

AR

Ch

PE

RS

ON

AS


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AASHA AHMED NGUYEN MINH TRIET

We immigrated to Washington state from Soma-lia, and my husband and I spoke no English when we moved. I did not have any formal education in my own language so have trouble helping my children with school while I’m learning to read myself.

I need to be updated on my son’s progress and any issues in school while it is happening. Since I cannot read it is important this communication is from a parent or teacher who speaks Somali. I am at home with my youngest during the day so the best time for me to connect with the staff and community is after school hours. I am learn-ing English myself and would like to have some educational support myself so I can better sup-port my younger children with their schoolwork.

I am 45 years old and speak Somali fluently, but very little English. My school has a 15% Somali population, and we are a very close community.

We do not have a family computer at home, but we all have library cards and access to comput-ers there.

Primary user

My wife and son and I moved to Issaquah from Wuhan, China one year ago. In Wuhan, I was employed as an engineer and we lived comfort-ably. My wife and I didn’t speak any English be-fore moving here. I feel lucky to have found a job. My wife is not working so she is feeling isolated.

It would help if we knew other Chinese parents in the area. So we could learn from each other’s experiences. I feel that, if we want to communi-cate more frequently with our son’s teacher, we will have to learn to reach out to her. Due to past confusion when trying to communicate we have realized that she will not necessarily reach out to us. I’ve tried using the online translator on the school website. It’s clunky and difficult to sustain a conversation. My wife would like to volunteer at the school more often but she is having trouble with the school calendar. Chinese, 34 years old, married, father of one.

Proficient with Microsoft Word, uses social me-dia to communicate with family in China.

Primary User


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View driving down Hill St. at Night


PARENT BOARDA smart bulletin board that translates important information and connects users with a community of parents.


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We chose to make the Parent Board because:

// Specifically invite ELL parents as users// Provide translation of the interface, the contents and school documents, and allow users to email or print translated information to take home// Promote community through school events, by helping users connect with other parents, and by helping them meet with parents/faculty/staff who speak the same language// Help teachers and ELL parents communicate about the child

SkEtChiNG & idEAtiONACtiONS

DESIGN GOALS

Clearly indicate the products functionality on the initial screen.

Reduce the number of steps to access important content.

Add information about reading recommendations, grades, and extracurricular activities.

Avoid culture-specific references in visual design.

Remove content that does not serve the design requirements.


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hiGh fidElity

The “Family Board” is a 3’ x 4’ touch-screen, which is installed in, or just outside the main office at an elementary school. This tool provides access to information commonly found online, to parents who may not have access due to

financial or language barriers.

To access personalized content, parents can log in through facial recognition technology using a parent photo, and

language preference information gathered with permission on student registration day, Staff members create an

account for each student’s parent. So there’s no setup required when parents want to start using the board.

To get a better understanding of how one might use this tool, the following is an example use-case performed by our persona Aasha at “Small World Elementary School.”


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hiGh fidElityPROtOtyPE

First, the parent touches “Hello” while standing in front of the Parent Board.

The Board checks the parent database regarding Aasha’s preferred language and asks which language she would like

to proceed with.

The screen recognizes Aasha and greets her by name.

Aasha chose “Somali” so the board displays Somali translation, and brings

up her child’s specific content. Classroom-specific icons change color

and are now tappable.


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Nafiso’s classroom page includes:• Language toggle, in case Aasha wishes to switch to second language.• Audio capability to accommodate low-literacy• Teacher contact info, and capability to send quick chat to check on teacher's availability• Homework and event calendar• List of upcoming due dates for homework -- with documents “attached” detailing assignments if parent would like to print or email copies.• Event/news list -- with flyers “attached” that can be printed on site or emailed.• Progress report of student

hiGh fidElity


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Tapping an event on the calendar, her navigation is a success. She has reached the information she is looking for and is

now able to print a copy or email it to herself.

Important event information is listed as well as assistance information.

hiGh fidElityPROtOtyPE


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We can really make a difference!With the user-centered design process, we found real world data to

propose meaningful and plausible solutions to integrate ELL parents and give them a better chance to be part of their child’s education.


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MOViNG fORwARdPROJECt bRidGE

Despite their busy schedules, teachers and school staff members were excited to participate in our research. Their expertise was essential for understanding the needs of our potential users.

Reaching out to users, those parents who don't speak English, was a challenge. Although we interacted with ELL parents during our research, we would love to recruit them to do usability testing on future prototypes.

Ideally we would do further research to make communication language-independent wherever possible through the use of icons and images, and translated audio recordings.

We would love to work with a company like Smart Technologies and create a higher fidelity prototype to test within a school environment over an extended period of time.


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